Flexible button



June 25, 1929. F R, wi-HTE T AL 1,718,843

FLEXBLE BUTTON Filed June 2o, 1928 Eig. 5.

u u i'mnlfzmwh feng i Patented June 25, 1929. l

UNITED STATES 1,718,843 PATENT OFFICE.

.FRANKLIN R. WHITE, OF "WATERBURY, AND LEONARD R. OAKLEY, OF WATERTOWN, CONNECTICUT, ASSGNORS T THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CONNECTCUT.

FLEXIBLE BUTTON.

Application `filed June 20,

Our invention relates to new and usel'nl improvements in buttons and more particularly to that kind or type known and referred to as swivel or flexible buttons.

The invention iu its broadest aspect is similar to the button shown in the patent to L. R. Carley No. 1,191,9/tl and patented July Q5, 191.6.

ln that construction, hmvever, there was 1U provided an inclosed base or anchor which hatl been entirely dispensed with in the prcsent invention.

One objet-,toit the invention is to provide a button that possesses eXtreme .flexibility and Vthe head o'li which is capable ot a. shiftable movement, so that the button-hole, through which the button .iste be passed or the wire loop, such as iorins the attach ingmenlbers tor the buttons on overalls and similar garments, is prevented from becoming `jammed or wedged beneath the hub, which wedging would prevent the button from being readily removed from the buttonshole or loop.

nother object o'l the invention is to pro vide a flexible button so that it may be telescopcd to occupy little space, thus permitting the buttons to pass 'through a clotheswringer without injury.

Still another object oit the invention is to provide a relatively cheap llexible button that secured to the material by driving a tack into the button head; thisl operation being performed in a suitable machine.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, tack buttons are generally applied by placing the buttons in one hopper of a machine and the tacks in another and the tasten- .ing niachine then operated to quickly drive the respective tacks through the cloth and lo into the respective button hea-ds in a. remarkably rapid manner.

Still another object oit the present invention is to so liorin the top of the eyelet oli thc button and the bottom of the hub that con siderable strength will be added to the but-A ton as a whole.

tiltill another object ol the invention is to so construct the button that when the head is .moved up on the eyelet, the lower end ol lill the hub will lie in a plane opposte the upper edge et the c velet, thereby at linf t buttim when the heal.

1928. Serial No. 286,884.

will be hereinafter more fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings showing a preiu .rred embodiment,

Fig. l is a plan view of the button, a part being brolren away torthe salie oit clearnees,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section with the parts in a no1-uml position,

Fig. 3 is a similar view, but with the parts in extcndial f )osition and showing a tilted position in dot and dash lines, which it may assunilc when buttonng and unbuttoning,

Fig. ll is a detailed section oli the eyelet be'liore assembly and before the top edge `is spun or pressed over,

F ig. 5 a detailed section of the anvil,

Fig. G is a bottom plan ot the same,

Fig. 7 is a detailed section oli the button ack or shell,

Fig. 8 is a vertical section slniilar to Fig. 2 oil a slightly modified forni showing the wall ol the eyelet bent inwardly towards the hub and showing a slightly dil'l'erent form of anvil, y l

Fig. S) is a similar view to Fig. 8, but with the parts extel'ided,

Fig. l0 is a detailed section ol the inodilied eyelet showing the same in a partly `conipleted condition, and

Fig. 1l is a view oilE the tach fastener.

Referring now more particularly to the several views and t'or the present to Fig. l, there shown a shell. or back l, which is provided with the hub 2 and a small receiving chamber formed by the outwardly extending portion 3 oli the shell and the outer rim l.

The bottom ol. the hub has the restricted circular opening` 5 and the slightly upwardly entei'iding riln vor wall G, as may be clearly seen in Fig. 7.

Now referring for the moment to Fig. Ll, there is an eyelet l i l i whiclLin turn again extends upwardly as at 1() and is spun back on itself -to form the rim as the`v rim -G, -w-hen the but-ton is elongated wiill conta-ct with and be held against separation by the downwardly extending rim 9 of the huh 8.

'A construction ofthiskind-allows great j flexibility of the head of the button with relation to the eyelet and alsoallows the head to move away, within certain ranges, from the eyelet, so that the wire loops as used on overalls .or garments will not bind when between the button head and-eyelet when buttoning or unbuttoning, ner will the goods about the button-hole bind, while at the same time a tilting or flexible movement of the button is provided so that the saine may he easily manipulated by the fingers as may be readily understood. y 1

`llVhen the eyelet and `button shell have heen so attachedian anvil 12 as shown inFigs. 5 and 6 is .placed within the shell, as may be understoodfrom Figs. 2 `and 3 `and this anvil preferably,V consistsA of a. small hard metal circular plate provided with the hub 13, which is slightly vdished'as atv14, to cause the point of the tackto bend or crimp in the -p'roper direction.

It might be mentioned at this point th at the several views-show the parts on agreatly eX- aggerated sca.le,'-for the sake of elearness and thehuttonsthemselves are of the .ordinary y sizeused on Voveia'llsand vother similar garments.

:This anvil is of relatively hard metal as mentioned and its function is to t-urn the head of the fastening tack which will shortly he described.

After the anvil is placed within thevshell, a cover15 isy placed over the shell and anvil and its peripheral edge bent 4inwardly to form the `flange 1G over the rim 4 of the shell, thus completing-the lieadof the button.

It will be noticed that thehub 2 is of slightly less diameter than the inner diameter of the eyelet 7, thus permitting the hub ofv the button to fit down within the-eyelet and to rock or tilt with relation thereto, Also the external diameter of thehub 8 of the eyeletis less than the internal diameter of the opening 5 in the shell.

To secure the button inposition, a tack 17 is usedand the 'same is 'driven through the cloth of the garment 18 vup through the hollowr hub 8 and, its point on striking the dished portion of the anvil, will be mutilated and turned over and extend over the inner edges of the rini 9 of the eyelet, thus tightly securing the eylet to the eloth and making it iinpossible for the tack to ever pull out ot the eyelet hub or permit the eyelet huh to in any way be pulled away from the cloth 18.

As heretofore mentioned, the tacks and buttons are always applied hy a 'fastening machine which inae-hine drives in the tack with considerable force.

Now referring to the slightly modilied form as shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 1t), the. shell 2 is very similar to the shell 2, but it desired the huh may be slightly less in diameter than the other hub` while the anvil 1;" is shown as having a ilat bottom surface rather than a dished surface as shown in the preferred forni.

It might he mentioned hei'e that either l'orm of anvil might however be used in either the preferred or modified .form of button head.

The eyelet 7, however, is ditlerentin construction froni the eyelet 7, in that the hase 8l is turned upwardly and inwardly as at 10, rather than outwardly and downwardly as in the preferred form (shown in Fig.

The upper edge of the hollow hub 8 is turned downwardly to forni the rim 9', so that this rim when the head is pulled outwardly, will engage with a small rini G formed in the hub of the shell 2.

The cooperating parts of the eyelet and the hub are identical with the preferred form and the button head may rock or tilt with relation to the eyelet in the saine manner as in the preferred form. The tack 1T is identical with the tack in the former inst ance and is driven through the cloth and is mutilated when its strikes the anvil, so that the lmtton head and eyelet are fastened to the cloth.

By forming the eyelet, however, with the upwardly and inwardly extending rim l0', it will be noticed that when the head is elongated with relation to the eyelet, the lower edgeof the hub 2 is in substantially the same plane as the upper edge of the turned over portion 10 of the eyelet.

By having the top ot this outer rim (when the button is extended) [lush with the bottom of the huh of the hutten head, it will permit a wire loop to slip up and take the .st rain on the huh of the button and away from the garment. This is also true when used with a huttoii hole instead of a wire loop.

From the foregoing it will be .seen that we have provided a flexible button that may he easily manipulated hy the tingers when being passed through a button hole or when being passed through a wire. loop. Furthermore, it not only possesses the advantages of the previous button shown in the patent to Carley, No. 1,191,944, (one ot the joint inventors of the present application), het it dispenses with an entiie element shown in lltl said eyelet and: deflected by said anvil and contacting With the innermost portion of said eyelet to thereby lock the eyeletivith'relation to the fastening mea-ns;

- 11. Aflexible'button Comprising an e'yelet'v the eyelet being open at its top and a head capable of sliding along said eyelet and also capable of' arocking movement with relation to said eyelet, cooperating means'in'the form and thev hub oi" the shell shiftably mounted on'the hub of the eyelet, cooperating locking means'on the hub of the shell and eyelet for limiting the movement' of the shell With'relationftb'the eyelet7 the hub ofthe eyelet adapted to receive' a fastening member and the hub of" the anviladaptedto jam the end ofthe fastening member' about` the upper edgevoi:l the hub ofv the eyelet. y

13. A flexible tack button comprising a button head, an anvil with a hub in said shell and the hub of the anvil heilig dished on its under portion, an eyelet open at its upper ond shiftably connected to said head and the anvil adapted to'defl'ect the prong of a .fastener about a port-ion of the eyelct to secure the eyelet to the article on which it is to be used.

14. Ina button, an anvil comprising aplate` a depending hub on said plate and the under portion oi the anvil being concavcd to a depth less than one-half the thickness of the anvil plante to thereby deflect the prong of a tastener.

15. A flexible button comprising a shell, a cover for said shell, the said shellk provided with a hub, an anvilin said shell and the said anvil provided with a hub fitting down Within'the shell', the said hub having its lower surface concavcd, an eyelct rockably secured to the hub of the .shell and said anvil adapted to' deflect the prong of t-lic fastener over a portion of the eyelet, to secure the eyelet to a garment.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE. LEONARD R. CARLEY. 

